Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, has paid $45 million in sexual harassment settlements since mid-2016, USA Today reports.
According to the company’s quarterly report filed Wednesday, as cited by USA Today, 21st Century Fox listed costs of about $45 million in the nine months through the quarter ending on March 31, 2017. The expenses, according to USA Today, were for “settlements of pending and potential litigations,” following the departure of former CEO Roger Ailes in July 2016 amid sexual harassment allegations. USA Today reports that the number is $10 million more than what was listed in its previous quarterly report.
Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson’s $20 million payment is among those settlements, according to USA Today. She sued Ailes for sexual harassment last summer, and the company settled with her in September of 2016.
The quarter ended just one day before the New York Times reported in April that a least five women have received payouts totaling $13 million from either Bill O’Reilly or 21st Century Fox. Shortly after, 21st Century Fox (FOX) parted ways with O’Reilly, who is the former host of The O’Reilly Factor. The network’s co-head, Bill Shine, has also recently left. He was mentioned in multiple lawsuits against Fox News for inadequately handling the sexual harassment and discrimination-prone culture at the company.
